Tabla For Accompaniment or Practice is a collection of 10 CDs of the hottest rhythm cycles of North India. This unique collection has been compiled especially for musicians wanting to practice classical and folk music of North India. It is also an invaluable resource for Jazz/World musicians and composers interested in jamming with Tabla grooves. This 5th CD is on Ektal a rhythmic cycle of 12 beats. The sound syllables of this rhythm cycle are recited as Dhin Dhin | DhaGe TTKT | Tu Na | Ka Ta | DhaGe TTKT | Dhi Na and counted 1 2, 3 4, 5 6, 7 8, 9 10, 11 12. Ektal is truly an exciting rhythm to jam in. One does need a bit of practice in understanding this meter. It can be played very very slow to very very fast and it rocks! For the most part it is considered a serious classical tala.

For this recording project, each tempo was picked selectively by Ashwin and his father Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish so as to allow a perfect rhythmic environment for practice as well as performance. The sound is crystal clear. The recording were originally made direct to Digital Audio Tape at 48k sampling and latter stepped down to the Compact Disc 44k rate. What that means is that they sound great! Each tempo is played for about 15 minutes and was recorded with a metronome beat. It is therefore very steady. When listening to this and other tabla talas (rhythm cycles) one must remember that good tabla players will add ornamentations to their playing. Sometimes a rhythm sounds barren without these added ornamentations. Please understand, this CD is not some virtuoso solo Tabla performance. We have purposely kept the grove steady and repetitive with some subtle variations of the main groove (Theka prakars). The playing doesn't deviate much from this main groove. Our intent was to create a work that is usable for practicing and jamming with. Too much virtuoso playing would have distracted from this goal. As a practice tool, we recommend you pop this CD into your machine, select a tempo and start jamming with it on your favorite instrument. All the tracks have been recorded in the key of C.

Ashwin Batish has been teaching music for over 25 years. He is a virtuoso sitar and tabla player. He and his father have pioneered in self help products that teach music of India. Ashwin is also producing instructional videos to teach the various Indian musical instruments. Sitar, Tabla, Dilruba, Harmonium, Vichitra Veena, Violin, Tanpura are some of the instrument tutors that are presently available through the Institute. Ashwin is frequently invited to various Universities for lecture demos. Here's a recent review mentioning Ashwin as a teacher.... "A student of Batish once remarked that what she liked about studying with him was his cheerful, playful approach to Indian music. It is true. With Ashwin Batish, you don't feel constrained by the tradition of centuries. You learn how to open your ears and your mind to new sounds, new possibilities. "India Currents Magazine."